Planning Board May Go On Ballot

November 14, 1985|By Bob Kowalski, Staff Writer

Voters should decide next November whether to create a board of appointed officials that would oversee planning in Palm Beach County and its 37 municipalities, members of a county task force said Wednesday.

If endorsed in November 1986, the new agency would replace the defunct Area Planning Board and regulate the future development of such things as roads, parks and schools in the county.

``I think this is going to be a tremendously important function,`` said Ken Adams, chairman of the County Commission and the Growth Management Task Force, which Wednesday recommended the issue be placed before voters.

Members of that recently created task force, who have met for several weeks, are to develop guidelines for a new planning agency by February.

The County Commission will then decide whether to ask voters to approve the formation of the new planning agency through an amendment to the county charter.

The previous Area Planning Board was effectively killed in July when the commission criticized the board for inactivity and voted to eliminate its funding.

County officials said they hope the new agency, which they agreed to call the Growth Management Council, would have authority to resolve disputes between local government bodies over planning issues.

Members of the agency would be either elected officials or private individuals appointed by various local government bodies, the task force decided Wednesday.

``I don`t think it should necessarily be all elected officials,`` said Dean Turney, a member of the task force.